World of Warcraft patch 5.4.2 is open for testing

By Tam Mageean

The World of Warcraft December patch is up and running on the Public Test Realm (PTR) for your viewing and testing pleasure.

Patch 5.4.2 has a bunch of new features. The Warrior class has received a balance, after complaints that movement-impairing effects were too easily removed, the cross-realm raid browser has been adjusted, and account-bound items can now be sent across realms.

The addition of account-bound, cross-realm transfers means that you can move your most prestigious and sentimental heirlooms, that you may have had since the early days of the MMORPG, across your account to your newer characters, even if they're in a shiny new realm. It's a bit of a practice run for the item transfer system that's expected in the next expansion for the MMO, World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, where account-wide transfers will hopefully become a normal, every day, easy to use function.

To utilize the new inter-realm postal service, simply address your items with your player's name, followed by the realm's name (ie: WoWFan666-Alleria) and it should transfer; just like your regular mail. To protect the economies of each server, you'll only be able to do this with account-bound items, and will not be able to transfer gold or other items. As the system becomes more commonplace, transfers may well become more open, much like in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, where gold can be transferred, but you're limited as to how much. At present Gold can technically be moved in the form of your pets, which can be bought on one server, and sold in another, but this is a little cumbersome.

So you'd better start making some space in your current realms; time to get rearranging your World of Warcraft furniture!